What happened
A Cessna departed Jerez-La Parra Airport at 14:56 local time, destined for Cologne-Bonn Airport, carrying four occupants. The aircraft maintained an altitude of 36,000 feet throughout its initial flight path. Upon entering German airspace, air traffic control lost all radio communication with the crew.
In response to the loss of contact, a Luftwaffe Panavia Tornado was dispatched from Rostock-Laage Air Force Base. The military aircraft intercepted the Cessna at 18:15 local time. During the interception, the military pilot observed that the cockpit appeared empty, and the interceptor departed the area five minutes later.
The aircraft proceeded through German airspace and into Swedish airspace, maintaining a steady speed of 365 knots without notable changes to its heading or altitude. At 20:28 local time, the aircraft began a descent, followed by a right-hand turn three minutes later. At 20:40 local time, the plane entered an uncontrolled left-hand descent and began spiraling toward the water. The aircraft crashed at 20:44 local time, approximately 37 km northwest of Ventspils. The impact resulted in four fatalities, as the accident was not survivable. Minimal debris and oil were identified at the crash site.
Findings
No specific cause for the loss of communication or the subsequent uncontrolled descent was established in the provided report.